The coaching carousel has been revolving in earnest since the start of the offseason and Gwinnett County has been especially busy with new hires impacting six schools with Berkmar, Brookwood, Central Gwinnett, Norcross, Parkview and Meadowcreek. Out of those positions, all but Berkmar has been filled as the Patriots look for a replacement for Andrico Hines.
In December, Meadowcreek made its hire by promoting Johnny Burdette to replace Todd Wofford—who retired after the Mustangs’ 0-10 season. Coach Burdette served as the assistant head coach last year and the run-game coordinator. Burdette is a former head coach at his alma mater McNair and has been on the staffs at Berkmar and Discovery. In addition to playing for McNair as a varsity athlete, Burdette played collegiately at Georgia Southern.
While last year was a forgettable season for the Meadowcreek program, Burdette has served on the staff since 2021 and has built a strong resume over the course of his coaching career. He has won the Touchdown Club of Gwinnett’s Tally Johnson Award as assistant coach of the year four times at three different schools — 2012 at Berkmar, 2016 at Discovery and 2021 and 2022 at Meadowcreek. At Meadowcreek, the Mustangs went 5-6 and made the state playoffs in 2021. In 2022 with Wofford at the helm, the Mustangs finished 7-4 record and returned to the state playoffs with a record-breaking offense. Meadowcreek slipped to 2-8 in 2023 and went 0-10 this past season.
“We’re just trying to get (the students) excited about playing football again,” Burdette said. “The numbers really got low because we had so many injuries last season. Looking at the roster now, we probably have 44 (players) coming back. The biggest thing now is reaching out and getting some of the middle school kids over. We started the youth league a couple of years ago and they’ve been doing well.
Meadowcreek principal Kevin Wood talked about Burdette’s ability to connect with the players and the community as a positive sign that he believes will serve the Mustangs positively as they regroup in the years ahead. Additionally, Burdette has experience as a track and field coach that will help Meadowcreek’s athletes compete with the talent-rich neighboring schools throughout Gwinnett County and the metro area.
“We liked his relationships with the kids,” Wood said. “He’s already been here as assistant head coach. The booster club, the parents, the kids, the coaches — it was pretty much unanimous everybody wanted him (as head coach) because of the relationships he has here.”
“I’m very excited (to be Meadowcreek’s head coach),” Burdette told the Gwinnett Daily Post. “We’re just trying to get this thing back on track over here. It’s my fourth year here. I came over with (previous head coaches Jason) Carrera and (Terrance) Banks, and then Todd came in. We’re just trying to get it back to the old brotherhood. … The biggest thing now is hiring coaches that kind of understand our culture. That’s how we were successful in the past, just having those kind of coaches that understand our kids and are ready to go to work for our kids.”
Around the class boys: This is the final week of regular season basketball and there are several consequential matchups within Class 6A. Tuesday night No. 1 ranked Grayson will travel to No. 5 ranked Newton for a major region showdown. Additionally, No. 2 Wheeler will take on North Paulding on Tuesday before a clash at No. 4 ranked Etowah on Thursday in what will be the regular season finale for both teams.
Around the class girls: No. 1 ranked North Forsyth closes its regular season on Tuesday at Denmark. The Raiders are 24-0 heading into tipoff and previously defeated Denmark 65-22 on Jan. 9. No. 3 Grayson will visit No. 5 Newton on Tuesday. Newton is fresh off a 59-51 win over No. 6 Archer and will look to avenge its 76-52 loss to Archer.
Class 6A Boys Top 10 Schedule
1. Grayson—Tuesday at Newton, 7:30 p.m.; Friday at Rockdale County, 7:30 p.m.
2. Wheeler—Tuesday vs. North Paulding, 7:30 p.m.; Thursday at Etowah, 7:30 p.m.
3. McEachern—Tuesday at Osborne, 7:30 p.m.; Friday vs. Harrison, 7:30 p.m.
4. Etowah—Tuesday vs. Marietta, 7:30 p.m.; Thursday vs. Wheeler, 7:30 p.m.
5. Newton—Tuesday at Grayson, 7:30 p.m.; Friday at Grovetown, 7:30 p.m.
6. Walton—Thursday vs. Marietta, 7:30 p.m.
7. Lambert—Tuesday vs. South Forsyth, 7:30 p.m.
8. Buford—Tuesday at Dacula, 7:00 p.m.
9. Norcross—Tuesday vs. Duluth, 7:00 p.m.
10. Westlake—Tuesday at East Coweta, 7:30 p.m.
Class 6A Girls Top 10 Schedule
1. North Forsyth—Tuesday at Denmark, 6:00 p.m.
2. North Paulding—Tuesday at Wheeler, 6:00 p.m.; Friday vs. North Cobb, 6:00 p.m.
3. Grayson—Tuesday at Newton, 6:00 p.m.; Friday at Rockdale County, 6:00 p.m.
4. Campbell—Tuesday at Paulding County, 6:00 p.m.; Friday at Hillgrove, 6:00 p.m.
5. Newton—Tuesday vs. Grayson, 6:00 p.m.; Friday at Grovetown, 6:00 p.m.
6. Archer—Tuesday vs. Heritage-Conyers, 5:30 p.m.
7. Carrollton—Tuesday vs. Douglas County, 6:00 p.m.
8. Lowndes—Tuesday vs. Richmond Hill, 4:30 p.m.; Friday at Richmond Hill, 4:30 p.m.; Saturday at Camden County, 6:00 p.m.
9. Cherokee—Tuesday vs. North Cobb, 6:00 p.m.
10. Buford—Tuesday at Dacula, 5:30 p.m.
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